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Biden Apologizes to Fox Reporter for Calling Him a Stupid SOB.; New York City Mayor to Bring Back Controversial Plainclothes Police Unit; Trial Underway for 3 Ex-Officers in George Floyd's Death; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Apologizes for Holocaust Comments. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired January 25, 2022 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: President Biden has now apologized to a Fox reporter after he said this yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS REPORTER: Would you take a question on inflation then? Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Well, that reporter, Peter Doocy, said the president called him a short time later to apologize and said it was nothing personnel. CNN chief media correspondent Bryan Stelter is here. Bryan, it sounds like Peter Doocy handled that with humility. I mean he wasn't trying the make himself the story. I think he said he accepted the president's apology. It sounds like they were both being grownups about that. As Victor has pointed out to me, but for the grace of God, go all of us with hot mics.

BLACKWELL: True.

CAMEROTA: OK, so we all have a lot of I think understanding here. But the issue comes into, remember, when former President Trump called NFL players SOBs, I think including Colin Kaepernick, and that was a very big media story. Now he didn't call and apologize but that said something in the culture at the time. And so, is this in the same vain?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's in the same vain in so far as all presidents should be held to high standards. No presidents should go around calling reporters, cursing reporters. By that standard, a high standard, Biden was out of line like Trump was out of line when he called Chuck Todd an SOB. and when Trump would say cruder things to other individuals. But the difference, of course, is the backdrop. The context. You know, why is Peter Doocy handling this with such class and basically blowing it off?

Because the backdrop is so different than the Trump years when you had a president trying to destroy the American media, trying to undermine the American media. Using crude and crass and profane language and also doing it in an indecent way that was diffuse throughout his presidency. So certainly, the president speak out against that.

Now we see with Biden is something different. Right? He has a little bit of a mischievous smile on his face when talking to -- responding to Doocy. I personally believe it was a hot mic, I think he knew what he was doing, he knew he was on. And then he had the manners to call later and try to mends fences.

But it is still interesting to get inside the mind of the president. To hear what he might have been thinking or what he was feeling at that time. Fox certainly has been a pain on his neck. And I thought Ben Rhodes, the former Obama aide said it really well on Twitter.

He said: What Fox News has done no this country is infinitely more offensive than anything Biden has said.

Now that's an interesting argument. And that's a strong liberal argument. That's why so many Democrats were cheering for Biden when he was heard on this microphone yesterday insulting Peter Doocy. But from the point of view of high standards for any president, I would say he was out of line.

BLACKWELL: Brian, so, one, I don't know how you call somebody a stupid son of a bitch and then say it's not personal. I think that is a personal attack there. But you say that you believe that the president knew exactly what he was doing. Why? And what would be the benefit of that to get the cheers from the left? Do you think it was that calculated?

STELTER: I don't want to do the 3-D chess part of it. If you look at his eyes, he knows he's on camera. He's in the middle of event. You know, he's been in this business a long time as the three of us know, when you're wearing a microphone, you assume you're always being heard and you are always being recorded. So, you know, I think he was in on it to some degree.

And look, the question was less a question and more a provocation. And by all means it's great. The White House press corps should ask whatever it wants. Reporter should ask whatever they want. There should be tension between the press corps and the president. We are not there to be best friends with the president. So, bring it on, right, and let Biden respond. But that question was more of a provocation and Biden took the bait.

CAMEROTA: Brian Stelter, always good to see you. Thanks, Stelter.

STELTER: You too. Thanks.

CAMEROTA: Thanks, Brian.

[15:35:00]

All right, this just in to CNN. A second NYPD officer has died after being shot while responding to that domestic disturbance call. We have more on this and the New York mayor's plan to stop gun violence, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The second NYPD officer who was shot while responding to a domestic incident in Harlem last week has died.

New York's police commissioner tweeted: It's with great sadness I announce the passing of Police Officer Wilbert Mora. He called him a hero.

Officer Mora's death is part of the uptick of new violence in New York City that officials are trying to stem.

[15:40:00]

CAMEROTA: The city's new mayor, Eric Adams, just announced his plans to try to curb violent crime but critics are already voicing concern over part of the plan and that is the bringing back of the controversial plain clothed police unit. That unit was dismantled in 2020 after some of its tactics were declared unconstitutional. The mayor reacted to the criticism in a CNN interview this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, (D) NEW YORK: I know how unfair and abusive that unit was because I testified in federal court and the judge's ruling acknowledged my testimony.

Police officers will have a modified version of police uniform apparel. They will be better trained. We're going to technologies with cameras to video every interaction and I'm going to make sure the right officers are assigned there with precision policing to go after those who are dangerous gangs and carrying guns in my city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, let's discuss both sides of this with CNN law enforcement analyst, Anthony Barksdale, Baltimore's former acting Police Commissioner. And Jumaane Williams who is a New York City public advocate. Great to have both of you here. Commissioner Barksdale, tell that us why you support the bringing back of this revised but controversial unit.

ANTHONY BARKSDALE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: These units have shown that they can reduce violent crime in communities. Not only in New York but other communities across United States. I think that with the version that Mayor Adam if he can pull it off for commission it soon. I sounds like this version is promising but it would have to be closely monitored to evaluate if it's a success or not.

BLACKWELL: Jumaane, you say this is the wrong path even with the potential, you know, windbreakers, the cameras that these officers would wear, you say this is not the right way to go. Why?

JUMAANE WILLIAMS, NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC ADVOCATE: You know, I want to be clear. I've been working on this for over a decade. Issued a report in 2012. I first want to say I'm so glad that so much of what the mayor has put out actually matches that report and the report I put out yesterday as well, 2.0 of our public safety plan. And so, I want to make sure we're clear on that because there's so much that we agree on.

I do have concerns about this new plain clothes unit because we've had so much trouble in the past. I also want to add in that we are getting record numbers of guns off the streets right now. We are getting record numbers of arrests. What I think needs to happen is we focus law enforcement on the guns that are coming in. Also, the court system has to begin moving. Adding these units, I'm not sure will help get more arrests since we are at record numbers as well. In addition, the biggest part is being clear that we need a holistic approach because some of the knee-jerk reactions we've had in the past have actually caused more harm. But I am thankful that the plan on the wall matches so many of the things that I've been working on for such a long time.

CAMEROTA: Commissioner, what about that? What about what Jumaane just said? That this is an issue of the court systems not prosecuting people, not police, not finding guns on the streets.

BARKSDALE: Well, I am in Baltimore, I found out many years ago that you can chase gun arrests all day but the crime is driven by specific individuals, specific gangs in specific communities. So, if you go out and say we're going to get guns, you can get guns all day. Mr. Williams just said that. They're getting arrests, getting guns. But this about the constitutional subtraction of the most violent criminals from the city's crime equation. It's not about locking up or stopping, question and frisking every black or brown person.

You have to get the right individuals. Maybe sometimes the community can identify these individuals. Maybe sometimes it's the first-rate detective saying this is the guy who is killing people in this block. But I don't like stat driven enforcement. And I know Mr. Williams is familiar with cops stat and it only has to be monitored what is going on. Arrest without a reduction in violence, it doesn't matter.

BLACKWELL: Jumaane let me ask you, I didn't hear a specific protest to what's being suggested here. These neighborhood safety team, the anti- gun unit. You said it has to be a holistic approach and that there are more guns being collected. But is there approach one that you disagree with and specifically why not bring back these teams? I didn't hear that in your last answer.

WILLIAMS: As we lift up Officer Mora, as we lift up Officer Rivera, as we lift up the 11-month-year-old who spent her first birthday in surgery because he was shot in the cheek. Thankfully she will survive. These are the stories we have to think about. But what I do want to push back on is there notion that what we simply need in these communities is more police and law enforcement.

[15:45:00]

We understand that they have a role to play and is important. What has been missing historically are all of the other things that I have been pushing and are in other parts of the mayor's plan which is important. Simply saying we're adding more police and adding these units, when if you look at the 30 precincts in New York City it's going to be the same the nation. And you do an overlay, you'll see those same communities were hit the hardest with COVID and hit the hardest with unemployment, with housing, access to health care. These are not excuses and it has to be accountability.

But if we're not addressing those other issues, simply sending units like these by themselves can cause more harm. And the specifics with this unit is that we've seen so much promise in the past. And so, I am want to get more details of what the mayor is going to do. But I have to be clear that there are some concerns about this unit, about discussions around changing their reform, raise the age. Other things that we haven't seen in other cities even though they have crime rates and gun violence rates that are higher than ours.

BLACKWELL: Jumaane Williams, and former Acting Commissioner Anthony Barksdale, thank you.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: In Minneapolis, today, the cashier who interacted with George Floyd before his death is testifying. We'll have the latest on the federal civil rights trail for three former Minneapolis police officers, next.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Today is day two in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene of George Floyd's murder.

BLACKWELL: They're accused of violating Floyd's civil rights by failing to provide medical care as former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes until he died.

CNN's Omar Jimenez is covering the trial in St. Paul, so get us up to speed. What happened in court today?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor and Alisyn, right now, we are hearing from the third witness called in this trial, Charles McMillan. He was one of the first people to show up to the scene back in May 2020 when George Floyd was pinned under the knee of Derek Chauvin. He also testified in the state trial of Chauvin, even broke down on the stand as he testified that he felt helpless, watching things play out.

Now today before he took stand, we heard from Christopher Martin, who is the cashier at Cup Foods, and whose manager initially called the police that day and he began testifying today about what happened that day and how a crowd began to form around Floyd. He even said that he tried to defuse the situation at the time with then Officer Tou Thao who was standing guard of sorts to what was happening behind him.

He also said he saw then Officer Thao push a co-worker who tried to get a closer look. He also testified he told someone he felt they were not going to help George Floyd which made him emotional. He didn't like what he saw in which he described in particular to the prosecutors, Samantha Trepel, he looked dead. To which Trepel responded, why did he look dead to you? And he said he wasn't moving.

The prosecution really seemed to be trying to paint a picture of Tou Thao as someone who was more concerned with the bystanders and who was filming as opposed to what was happening behind him. And remember part of the charges that he is facing is that he was deliberately indifferent to George Floyd's serious medical needs at the time.

Now during cross-examination, the defense got Martin to acknowledge that Thao asked that co-worker to move first before that shove happened and also got Martin to admit that he believed he felt Floyd was on something at the time in regard to some sort of drug.

Now, as I mentioned, we've moved into the next witness. Today though, jurors have seemed more engaged than we've seen them throughout the week as I mentioned, we are now three witnesses into what is expected to be a four-week trial -- Victor, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Omar Jimenez, thank you for the update.

All right, we're also following breaking news out of the White House, President Biden says he would consider personally sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin. When might that happen?

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is apologizing for comments he made about the Holocaust and vaccines just about the same time his wife rebuked him online for them.

Kennedy tweeted: I apologize for my reference to Anne Frank. Especially to families that suffered the Holocaust horrors. He went on, to the extent my remarks caused hurt, I am truly and deeply sorry.

CAMEROTA: Well, Kennedy's wife actress Cheryl Hines also tweeted on her own account,

Quote: My husband's reference to Anne Frank at a mandate rally in D.C. was reprehensible and insensitive. The atrocities that millions endured during the Holocaust should never be compared to anyone or anything. His opinions are not a reflection of my own.

Victor, I'm going to let you -- I'm sensing some tension in that marriage right now.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I wonder, RFK Jr. has said so many things that have been offensive and just the disinformation. Why did it take this long for there to be some apology here?

CAMEROTA: Also, just that this is how they communicate with each other, a sign of the times that you have to tweet at your spouse to get them to, you know, take out the trash, basically.

BLACKWELL: We've seen it before.

Hey, if you've been stuck in traffic and just dreaming about kind of levitating in the vehicle and you're just flying over it, this is for you. A flying car has just received an official certificate of airworthiness, but it's in Slovakia.

[16:00:00]

CAMEROTA; OK. Well, this vehicle has completed 70 hours of rigorous flight testing with more than 200 takeoffs and landings. That sounds good. It holds two people. It can go more than 100 miles per hour.

BLACKWELL: Oh, that's good.

CAMEROTA: A scientist involved in developing it says it is taking us into the next dimension where road meets sky. I've been waiting for this since after school reruns of the Jetsons.

BLACKWELL: I have my talking watch. I want my flying car.

CAMEROTA: And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.

END